To sea or not to sea

'To sea or not to sea', the second international colloquium on maritime and fluvial archaeology in the southern North Sea area will take place in Bruges on 21-23 September 2006. It aims on four main themes: research, conservation, communication and legislation. Posters dealing with any topic related to maritime and fluvial heritage are welcome.

More information can be found here.

International campaign for safeguarding of Allianoi

Europa Nostra, the pan-European federation for cultural heritage, is trying to raise international awareness for a pending archaeological catastrophe in Turkey. Allianoi, a beautifully preserved Roman spa near the renowned ruins of Pergamon, is threatened with drowning due to the construction of a new dam on the nearby river. On the website of Europa Nostra one can join the worldwide campaign to save Allianoi.

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Skeletons uncovered at airbase

SKELETONS and flint tools thought to date from Anglo-Saxon and earlier times have been found at an airbase.

They are the latest archaeological finds at the Lakenheath US Air Force base which has previously yielded important discoveries including a warrior who had been buried together with his horse and weapons.

Students from the Suffolk branch of the Young Archaeologist Club have helped at the site of a burial mound on land which is to become a new housing area for service personnel.

The students, working under the direction of archaeologist Jo Caruth, worked at uncovering a ring ditch that would have encircled a burial mound.

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Stolen archaeological pieces returned to Syria

Germany has returned to Syria about 2,700 archaeological pieces stolen from this country three years ago, a Syrian official said Monday.Deputy Culture Minister Abdul-Razzak Mouaz said German police seized the pieces on the Swiss-German border in 2002, according to the state-run al-Thawra newspaper.

Bassam Jammous, director general of the Antiquities and Museums Department, told The Associated Press that the pieces include gold, bronze and silver coins, pottery, mosaics and clay tablets dating back to prehistoric times such as the Bronze Age.

"Scientifically, the pieces are invaluable," said Jammous, who received the pieces along with Mouaz at Damascus' international airport on Sunday, the AP reports.

A committee has been formed to study the pieces and learn their economic value.

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Raising the dead

A leading archaeologist has given up his gentle academic life in order to exhume bodies and use his skills in a different way - helping police solve murders and locating victims of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia.

I try to fix the mask over my nose, but it keeps snagging on the viewfinder covering my right eye.

In the end I give up and try to block out the stench of decay by concentrating on what I am filming.

Two police officers in white boiler suits are digging a pit at my feet, directed by a balding, intense figure, the forensic archaeologist, Professor John Hunter.

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Ancient Church Found in Israeli Jail

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Ancient Church Found at Israeli Prison

Crowds watch a pair of Israeli prisoners using sponges to clean mosaics in the ruins of what archaeologists say could be the oldest Christian church in Israel.

Researchers at the site say the church dates between the third and fourth centuries. The experts add that it likely predates the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, when Roman Emperor Constantine I legalized Christianity across the Byzantine Empire.

Other experts question the date and significance of the find. Former Israel Antiquities Authority curator Joe Zias told the Associated Press there is no evidence that Christians built churches before the fourth century. Even if the date is correct, he said, the newly discovered building most likely wasn't used that early for religious purposes.

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Prisoners find 'oldest church'

Archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be the oldest Christian church in the Holy Land, dating back to the 3rd or 4th century.

The find was at the most incongruous of sites — inside a high-security Israeli prison holding Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners near the biblical site of Armageddon, now Megiddo.

Israeli prisoners brought in from other jails to help out on a five-month exploratory dig found the first evidence of an important ancient place of worship three weeks ago, and finally uncovered the mosaic floor last week on a site earmarked by the prison for a new wing.

The ruins include a mosaic bearing the name of Jesus Christ in ancient Greek and images of fish, an ancient Christian symbol.

The most significant is a well-preserved black and white mosaic for which the Israel Antiquities Authority has given the provisional translation: “The God-Loving Aketous has offered this table (altar) to the God Jesus Christ as a memorial.” The discovery will inevitably be subject to intense scrutiny.

But the team is excited by the discovery, which includes two other clear inscriptions. One refers to a Roman named Gaianos, believed to be a centurion, who “from his own money has made the mosaic”.

“We knew that there were churches at this time but we didn’t know what they looked like,” said Yotam Tepper, the authority official heading the dig.

“In Israel for sure it is the earliest church we know.”

Mr Tepper’s team concedes that there is no inscription dating the site precisely, but dates a jug of wine and cooking pot to the late 3rd or early 4th century Roman period.

He believes the church dates from one of two periods between the middle of the 3rd century and start of the 4th when Christians were not persecuted by Romans.

His team insists that the 10m by 5m building is not a domestic dwelling, but does not belong to the later Byzantine period because there is no sign of a Cross and its shape is different from the basilica layout used then. Experts have also dated the mosaic to the 3rd century, they say.

However the Israel Antiquities Authority is likely to raise eyebrows by yesterday allowing journalists and camera crews to clamber over the site’s perimeter and outlying mosaics, even before outside experts have examined them.

Guard dogs barked furiously as the blue prison gates swung open to admit visitors to the 1,200-inmate jail, whose watchtowers lie beneath the ancient hill where the Book of Revelation prophesies the final battle between good and evil.

Sceptics question whether the construction is a church. These were banned until Constantine, the Roman Emperor, permitted the practice of Christianity early in the 4th century.

Joe Zias, a former curator with the Israel Antiquities Authority, said: “I think what is important here is the size, the inscription and the mosaics.”

However, Monsignor Pietro Sambi, the Vatican’s Ambassador to Israel, praised the find as a “great discovery.”

“Of course, all the Christians are convinced of the history of Jesus Christ,” he said. “But is it extremely important to have archaeological proof of a church dedicated to him? Certainly.”

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HENGE BOSSES GO ALL-OUT FOR TUNNEL

Heritage chiefs sent a strongly worded message to the Government yesterday as the battle lines were drawn over the Stonehenge tunnel fiasco. Despite the Government axing plans for a tunnel under the world famous stones earlier this year, English Heritage told road chiefs they still believed their plans for the stones were the best.

Last week, Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman announced a steering group to review the options for the roads around Stonehenge, which will meet before the issue goes to public consultation in January.

The debacle, which has run for eight years, came to a head in the summer when Mr Ladyman dropped plans to take the A303 in a mile-long tunnel under the stones.

He said he had no choice after the price tag soared from £276million to £470million.

The tunnel was vital to English Heritage's plans for the stones, which aim to return them to their prehistoric setting, with no roads within view and a new visitors' centre.

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Anyone seen an abbey around here?

ARCHAEOLOGISTS turned up in force to examine the history of Bisham Abbey last month.

About 20 enthusiasts were told of the little-known fact that the existing building once home to the Knights Templar is actually a manor house as opposed to an abbey.

However, as John Laker, of Archaeology In Marlow, insists: "The house is still of immense interest, with parts of it dating back over 800 years."

His group organised the visit to the National Sports Centre on October 22, to investigate the building's history.

The tour was led by historian Anne Daracott, of Maidenhead, an expert on Bisham Abbey.

The house has had a number of famous inhabitants, including the Knights Templar, and remained in the ownership of the Earl of Salisbury's family for a number of generations.

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Excavations in Asse suffer from lack of funding

During construction works in Asse (prov. Flemish Brabant) several archaeological traces were discovered. A short excavation campaign revealed material from the 13th century AD onwards. The archaeologists found a.o. two skeletons of horses. Unfortunately, fundings were not sufficient for a more in-depth study of the site. Archaeologist Kristine Magerman: "Two cemeteries might have been destroyed. The presence of a medieval settlement in Asse thus remains hypothetical."

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New archaeological work near Thornborough Henges

Fresh archaeological survey work under way at a proposed quarry site close to the ancient Thornborough Henges (North Yorkshire, England) has come in for criticism from heritage campaign group TimeWatch.

The further examination of the site at Ladybridge Farm follows North Yorkshire County Council's recent decision to defer a quarrying application by Tarmac for more detailed analysis of the site's archaeology. But the chairman of TimeWatch, George Chaplin, is unhappy with the way it is being conducted. "This newest digging will not produce the eight to ten per cent sample required by English Heritage and, in fact, is focused on an area where artefacts have already been found," he said this week. "The researchers appear to be focusing only on Neolithic archaeology in one location while additional important archaeology is likely to be located where they are not looking. We are concerned that the current digging is being done in a hurried manner, in bad weather, using heavy equipment, and without the constant supervision of an outside group of archaeologists who have no vested interest in the outcome."

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Large Neolithic settlement unearthed in Britain

Archaeologists have unearthed what is thought to be one of the largest Neolithic settlements in Britain, which was probably associated with a nearby series of nine prehistoric ritual centres. The discovery, which includes buildings, a human burial pit, tools, pottery and ritual objects, was uncovered at a Northumberland quarry.

The discovery was made during routine archaeological investigation of the quarry, which is run by Tarmac. The settlement, near Milfield Village, Northumberland, includes at least three buildings dating to the 4000 BCE Early Neolithic period and three buildings from the 3000 BCE Later Neolithic period. The site is in an area with a rich archaeological history, dominated by the enormous Yeavering Bell hill fort, built 1,000 years after the huts and henges on the plain below. The dwellings are surrounded by timber and earth bank henges so close in date it is assumed they must have been built by the same people.

Each building was rectangular and made of timber and possibly thatch. The largest was 13 metres long and 5 metres wide. The houses are 900m from a series of henge monuments - the largest of which was 100m in diameter and surrounded by banks, ditches and scores of wooden obelisks.

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Author identifies oldest purpose-made sports ball

A lump of battered wood from the archaeology museum in Hull has been identified as the oldest purpose-made sports ball in Britain.

When excavated in the 1980s from the site of a medieval priory it was assumed to be a broken wooden bowling ball. However, in researching a new book on historic sports Simon Inglis has identified it as a survivor from an indoor skittles-type game called half-bowl.

Mr Inglis said the game was outlawed by Edward IV in 1477 because it was distracting his archers from practice. It was still played in parts of the country until the 19th century.

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Site May Be 3rd-Century Place of Christian Worship

Israeli state archaeologists have discovered mosaics, pottery and other remains of a Roman-era Christian building on the grounds of a high-security prison here. They say the site could be the oldest public place of Christian worship ever uncovered in Israel and perhaps one of the earliest such sites in the world.

The mosaic floor of the structure, buried beneath rock, soil and asphalt, was discovered Oct. 30 by an Israeli prisoner working on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The agency has been excavating the compound for more than a year to ensure that nothing of historic value is lost during an ongoing renovation project. At a news conference Sunday, Yardena Alexandre, a spokeswoman for the authority, called the discovery "one of the most important finds for the history of early Christianity."

Judging by the age of broken pottery discovered on the floor, the distinctive mosaic style, inscriptions citing Jesus and the apparent pre-Byzantine design of the building, state archaeologists said the structure was most likely a public place of Christian worship that dates to the mid-3rd or early 4th century. If true, the find would join the early 3rd-century Christian gathering place at Dura Europus in Syria as one of the oldest of its kind.

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Sensational find in Herad

Archeologists were ecstatic after discovering what may be a 2000-year-old grave in Herad, Farsund in southwest Norway.

Archeologist Wenche Helliksen told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that the grave, which included a person in a coffin roughly 2000 years old, was very special.

"This is a find that you make just once in a lifetime. I have been digging for 20 years and have never made such a find," Helliksen said.

The special ingredient in the find is the presence of textiles.

The Herad find is from the year 300 at the latest, and archeologists believe it may rewrite the history of the area. A 1500-year-old boat house has also been found during the Herad excavations, NRK reports.

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METAL DETECTOR UNCOVERS TUDOR COIN HAUL

A METAL detector enthusiast has uncovered a hoard of Tudor coins.
Andy Whewell made the discovery of the 22 silver coins on farmland in the west of the Island. He turned them over to Manx National Heritage and a date will be set for an inquest to establish whether it is classed as 'treasure trove'.

MNH curator of archaeology Allison Fox said: 'The discovery is interesting and some conservation work and research will be done on the coins.'

It is 41-year-old Mr Whewell's second big find in three years – first hitting the headlines in March 2003 when he discovered hundreds of Viking and Anglo-Saxon coins on farmland in Glenfaba.

His latest find came on October 5.

'There are lots of people metal detecting all their lives and don't ever find one hoard, but I have found two in just less than three years now,' said Mr Whewell, of Peel.

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Greek inscription in ‘oldest church’

An ancient church discovered beneath a prison in northern Israel contains a mosaic floor bearing inscriptions in ancient Greek that could shed light on early Christian practices, archaeologists said yesterday.

The ancient Greek inscriptions on the floor of the church — which has been dated to the mid-third or early-fourth century — contain a reference to “The God Jesus Christ,” head archaeologist Yotam Tepper said. “This is a very ancient structure, maybe the oldest in our area,” Tepper said.

Tepper and his team believe that the discovery could shed new light on an important period of Christianity, noting that there is a dearth of “archaeological evidence” from the period to which the church is dated.

“What is important about this find is that it is in a transitional period. It is the very beginning of churches,” archaeologist Yardena Alexandre was quoted as saying.

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„Suchmaschine“ für antike Keramik: Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum

Das Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum (CVA) besteht seit 1921 und ist das weltweit führende, internationale Forschungsprojekt, das sich mit der Erfassung, Katalogisierung und wissenschaftlichen Erforschung antiker Keramik beschäftigt. Die deutsche Abteilung des CVA befindet sich bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Seit Oktober 2004 ist die in Kooperation mit dem CVA vom Beazley-Archiv in Oxford eingerichtete Datenbank CVA-Online kostenfrei und ohne Anmeldung zugänglich.

Sie ermöglicht den unmittelbaren Zugriff auf Abbildungen und wissenschaftliche Kommentierung von an die 40.000 bisher in Bänden des CVA publizierten antiken Tongefäßen in Museen sämtlicher beteiligter Länder und stellt Suchfunktionen ganz unterschiedlicher Form zur Verfügung. An der Schnittstelle zwischen Museen und internationalen Forschungsinstitutionen existiert damit ein neues Mittel der Erforschung antiker Keramik, das in den nächsten Jahren ausgebaut werden soll.

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Belgian and Dutch archaeologists join forces to find medieval farm in Schoondijke

Dutch and Belgian archaeologists believe a medieval farm is buried under the modern village of Schoondijke (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen). In the coastal plain of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen medieval settlements are generally difficult to find, as they are buried under marine sediments, caused by inundations in the 16th century. The new excavations in Schoondijke, which will start next week, should improve the knowledge about the cultural landscape of the coastal region and its transformation in the middle ages.

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